Obamacare: Health centers receive grants for exchange enrollment

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Wednesday announced more than 1,100 health centers nationwide will receive $150 million in grants to enroll uninsured Americans in coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

The centers, which serve more than 21 million patients annually, are to hire 2,900 workers. At least 11 health centers in the Houston area will receive grants.

“Investing in health centers means that people in neighborhoods and towns across the country have one more resource to help them understand their insurance options and enroll in affordable coverage,” Sebelius said in a written statement.

The workers will explain coverage options through the insurance marketplaces and determine what financial help people might get.

Meanwhile, Walgreens and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association have joined to establish an educational website and distribute information about health exchanges.

The campaign is to encourage uninsured people to use exchanges to shop for health plans.

The Walgreen-Blue Cross effort would be the largest by private industry to promote the 2010 health-care law.

“There’s a lot of confusion, a lot of questions, and it’ll take a tremendous collaborative effort to make sure people have the information they need to make informed choices,” Brad Fluegel, chief strategy officer for Deerfield, Illinois-based Walgreen, said in a statement.